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Monday, October 9, 2017

Zingerman's National Success in a Digital World

Zingerman's is a community of businesses that has taken over the Ann Arbor and Metro Detroit area, becoming a household name. As a local brand, staying loyal to only having locations in Ann Arbor, most would be surprised that Zingerman's is a nationally recognizable brand. Over half their revenue comes from online sales through their Mail Order services.

Jenn Hayman, director of marketing for Zingerman's service network, believes that the brand's success is possible through frequent and effective communication. Even though each Zingerman's business is individually owned and operated, Hayman believes all the businesses thrive from communicating with each other.

"Making sure you're talking and listening, and getting together to make sure all their information is shared are both really critical. Each business is each other's biggest customer. When anything changes they all need to know it," says Hayman.

Before Zingerman's, Hayman's background consisted primarily of the higher education sector, but when she stumbled upon this opportunity she thought it was perfect for her. Being an Ann Arbor local, Zingerman's was a brand that she had known and admired, making her eager to jump into her position there.

"It was a welcomed departure. Being able to break branding rules that typically existed and being able to have something playful, not having to take ourselves so seriously, and inject humor in it and be creative is what caught my eye," says Hayman when comparing how different her position at Zingerman's is to her previous positions.

Hayman believes that Zingerman's success will only continue to grow because of the high level of personal passions that their employees bring to the table. Upon accepting her position with the company, Hayman was happy to see how much the brand invests and develops their managers to not only know the in's and out's of the brand, but to also be leaders that their employees respect and look up to.

On November 17, Hayman will be the keynote speaker at the Digital Marketing Workshop, further discussing how she markets Zingerman's local community of businesses as a national brand through digital channels. Few tickets remain so be sure to get yours now.